Method of making relief-effect printing-plates.



No. 718,883. PATENTED JAN. 20, 1903. J. L. SHILLING.

METHOD OF MAKING RELIEF EFFECT PRINTING PLATES.

APILIOATION FILED JUNE 26, 1902.

A 7TORNE Y Unirnn Sra'rns Patnnt @FFICE.

JOHN LENHART SHILLING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

METHOD OF MAKING RELIEF-EFFECT PRINTING-PLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,883, dated January 20, 1903 Application filed June 26, 1902.

T0 at; whom, Z6 may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN LENHART SHIL- LING,a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods of Making Relief-Effect Printing-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to engraved plates for printing by which the outline of a flat object or design may be reproduced to give the effect of relief modeling in clay or other plastic material. A process or method of producing such plates has been invented by one William A. Hinners, which is the subjectmatter of an application for a patent made by him and filed in the Patent Office of even date herewith. The said pocess, briefly stated, consists in producing a representation of the object or design directly or indirectly upon a flat plate, removing the portions of the plate corresponding to the original object, which may be done by mechanical or chemical means to form a depressed or intaglio matrix, impressing plastic or fibrous material into the depressions of the plate or matrix so formed, and reproducing the relief or cameo impression of said plate by photographic means to form the finished printingplate. Variations in the final result obtained by the above process may be produced by artistic treatment of the cameo-sheet before the photographic reproduction thereof.

It is the object of my invention to improve upon the latter portion of said process by providing by simple mechanical means a suitable background for the relief. Such background may consist of any desired ornamentation or design, which may be a simple one covering a portion or the whole of the plate, an all-over design, or may consist of continuous or repeated printed matter or Words. The result of my improvement is illustrated in the drawing, which represents a half-tone reproduction in which a monogram is repeated in an all-over pattern as a background for the relief or modeled effect of the principal inscription and border. The difficulty in directly placing such a background upon the sheet bearing the relief impression so as to give a uniform effect is evident. I attain the desired results of uniformity of effect and sharp- Serial No, 113,240. (No model.)

ness of outline by placing the desired background upon the level face of the intaglio plate in transferable pigment or color before A the relief impression is taken. The same operation that forms the relief will then transfer the background design.

In the practice of my invention I prepare the desired design and reproduce the same on a suitably-engraved plate, or if such background is to consist of printed matter set the same in the chosen type as it is desired to appear. An impression of such engraving or composition is then taken in transfer-ink upon transfer-paper and from this transferred to the incised or eroded plate, to produce which is one of the steps of the process above set out. When the plastic or fibrous material is placed thereupon and pressure applied, such pressure or other manipulation as may be used to force the applied material into the depressions of the plate causes the ink to be transferred from the latter to the sheet or material placed thereon. As the impression transferred to the intaglio plate attaches itself only to the face thereof, the final transfer attaches only to the background of the relief-plate, and the raised letters or design give the efiect of being molded thereupon to cover such portions of the background pattern as do not appear to the eye.

The steps and means by which my invention may be practiced may be varied in many Ways without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Any means which may be used to apply the background design to the intaglio plate to transfer the design from such plate to the sheet or body of plastic material to make such plate,whether mechanical,chemical, or both, whatever material may be selected to beimpressed upon and in the matrix, and Whatever method of photoengraving may be selected for the reproduction are equally within the scope of my invention. I do not, therefore, limit myself to the particulars set out; but

I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

1. The method of making a relief-effect printing-plate which consists in forming a matrix containing an intaglio reproduction of a principal object or design, forming a background on the face of the matrix, impressing plastic material thereupon whereby the principal design is reproduced in relief thereupon and the background design transferred to the said material, and reproducing the result by photo-engraving, substantially as set forth.

2. The method of making a reliefeffect printing-plate which consists in forming a matrix containing an intaglio reproduction of a principal object or design, transferring any desired background design to the face of the matrix,impressing plastic material thereupon whereby the principal design is reproduced in relief on said material and the background design transferred thereto, and reproducing the result by photo-engraving, substantially as set forth.

3. The method of making a relief-effect printing-plate which consists in forming a matrix containing a negative intaglio reproduction of a principal object or design, form ing a background on the face of the matrix, impressing plastic material thereupon whereby the principal design is reproduced in relief on said material and the background design transferred thereto, and reproducing the result by photo-engraving, substantially as set forth.

4:. The method of making a relief-effect printing-plate which consists in forming a matrix containing a negative intaglio reproduction of a principal object or design, trans ferring any desired background design to the face of the matrix, impressing plastic material thereupon whereby the principal design is reproduced in relief on said material and the background design transferred thereto, and reproducing the result by photo-engraving, substantially as set forth.

5. In a process for making reliefeffect printing-plates, the improvement therein which consists in forming a background design on the face of an intaglio plate, impressing plastic material thereupon whereby portions of said material are forced into the de pressions of the plate and the background design is transferred to the intermediate por- Lions, and reproducing the result by photoengraving, substantially as set forth.

6. In a process for making reliefeffect printing plates, the improvement therein which consists in transferring a background design to the face of an intaglio plate, im-

pressing plastic material thereupon whereby portions of said material are forced into the depressions of the plate and the background design is transferred to the intermediate portions, and reproducing the whole by photoengravin'g.

7. In a process for making relief effect printing-plates, the improvement which consists in placing a background design on the face of an intaglio plate, impressing plastic fibrous material thereupon whereby portions of said material are forced into the depressions of the plate and the background design is transferred to the intermediate portions, and reproducing the result by photo-engraving, substantially as set forth.

8. In a process for making relief effect printing-plates, the improvement which consists in transferring a background design to the face of an intaglio plate, impressing plastic fibrous material thereupon whereby portions of said material are forced into the depressions of the plate and the background design is transferred to the intermediate portions, and reproducing the result by photo engraving, substantially as set forth.

9. In a process for making reliefeffect printing-plates, the improvement which consists in placing a background design on the face of an intaglio plate, impressing paper thereupon whereby portions of the paper are forced into the depressions of the plate and the background design is transferred to the intermediate portions, and reproducing the result by photo-engraving, substantially as set forth.

10. In a process for making relief-effect printing-plates, the improvement which consists in transferring a background design to the face of an intaglio plate, impressing paper thereupon whereby portions of the paper are forced into the depressions of the plate and the background design is transferred to the intermediate portions, and reproducing the result by photo-engraving, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of June, 1902.

J. LENI-IAR'I SHILLING.

Witnesses:

WM. A. HINNERS,

HERMAN O. LAMMERS. 

